92

Exciting! In going through my tea stash yesterday, I found some of this! I can’t believe I never wrote a note about it because I know how much I like it. In fact, I was lying in bed this morning thinking about what tea I wanted with breakfast and this one came to mind first and wouldn’t leave.

It smells amazing in the tin, deep and rich caramel aroma, which makes me think of colors like chocolate brown. No. 2 smelled it and immediately said he wanted some, so I made enough for him to have some (but he left to go get pancakes before it was done steeping, so great, more for me).

The aroma of the steeped tea lightens up quite a bit into more of a candy caramel, which makes me think of colors like coffee and tan. That’s also where the vanilla note comes in. The tea is a clear maple color, not murky like some caramel teas, where the caramel bits melt and turn the liquor to sludge.

The flavor is just as I remembered it. Very obviously caramel, but not overpowering, and not just riding the surface or otherwise glommed on. The tea itself isn’t overly strong and is fairly smooth. I might steep it a bit longer next time and see what that does. Yes, I’m overjoyed that I have enough to enjoy more cups of this! I can see why I was hoarding it, as it is one of the last of the LiberTEAS teas, but it’s one of those things where I’m going to have to bite the bullet and drink it or risk that it be discovered fossilized in an archaeological dig in the far distant future.

Flavors: Caramel, Vanilla

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 30 sec 3 tsp 25 OZ / 750 ML
Fjellrev

Sounds so lovely!

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Fjellrev

Sounds so lovely!

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Bio

I got obsessed with tea in 2010 for a while, then other things intruded, then I cycled back to it. I seem to be continuing that in for a while, out for a while cycle. I have a short attention span, but no shortage of tea.

I’m a mom, writer, gamer, lawyer, reader, runner, traveler, and enjoyer of life, literature, art, music, thought and kindness, in no particular order. I write fantasy and science fiction under the name J. J. Roth.

Personal biases: I drink tea without additives. If a tea needs milk or sugar to improve its flavor, its unlikely I’ll rate it high. The exception is chai, which I drink with milk/sugar or substitute. Rooibos and honeybush were my gateway drugs, but as my tastes developed they became less appealing — I still enjoy nicely done blends. I do not mix well with tulsi or yerba mate, and savory teas are more often a miss than a hit with me. I used to hate hibiscus, but I’ve turned that corner. Licorice, not so much.

Since I find others’ rating legends helpful, I added my own. But I don’t really find myself hating most things I try.

I try to rate teas in relation to others of the same type, for example, Earl Greys against other Earl Greys. But if a tea rates very high with me, it’s a stand out against all other teas I’ve tried.

95-100 A once in a lifetime experience; the best there is

90-94 Excellent; first rate; top notch; really terrific; will definitely buy more

80-89 Very good; will likely buy more

70-79 Good; would enjoy again, might buy again

60-69 Okay; wouldn’t pass up if offered, but likely won’t buy again

Below 60 Meh, so-so, iffy, or ick. The lower the number, the closer to ick.

I don’t swap. It’s nothing personal, it’s just that I have way more tea than any one person needs and am not lacking for new things to try. Also, I have way too much going on already in daily life and the additional commitment to get packages to people adds to my already high stress level. (Maybe it shouldn’t, but it does.)

That said, I enjoy reading folks’ notes, talking about what I drink, and getting to “know” people virtually here on Steepster so I can get ideas of other things I might want to try if I can ever again justify buying more tea. I also like keeping track of what I drink and what I thought about it.

My current process for tea note generation is described in my note on this tea: https://steepster.com/teas/mariage-freres/6990-the-des-impressionnistes

Location

Bay Area, California

Website

http://www.jjroth.net

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